This invention relates generally to water sprinklers, and more particularly concerns an adjustable spray arc nozzle providing for adjustment of the spray arc, the radius, and flow of the water spray provided by the nozzle.
The irrigation industry commonly uses stationary fixed spray arc nozzles with pop-up spray heads for irrigation of lawns and gardens. There are currently more than thirty patterns provided to achieve the necessary arcs and diameters for various applications. While adjustable arc nozzles also have been introduced that provide various spray arc diameters to achieve a customized water spray pattern with an adjustable arcuate width, the distribution of water from such variable arc spray nozzles is typically uneven as the angle of spray is adjusted. In conventional double helix nozzle designs, the orifice outlet also typically is not in a flat plane, and the spray pattern of water continues to climb as the arc is moved toward a full 360 degrees. One attempt to overcome these problems has been to provide a splash plate at the discharge orifice of the nozzle to provide for a redirection and mixing of the discharged water, with various modifications of the splash plate allowing the effect of the splash plate on the water spray to be varied. However, it would be desirable to provide an improved adjustable arc nozzle allowing for a more comprehensive and uniform adjustment of the spray arc, the radius, and flow of the water spray provided by the adjustable arc nozzle. The present invention meets these needs.